District 50071

Category Archives: Personal Growth

We have been tracking the progress and development of 4 cadets belonging to the Huntsville Police Department’s Academy Class. They graduated in the previous week and for the next 14 weeks, they will continue working with the training officer.

John (left) James (center) Mary (right)

The name of the four graduates is John Smith ( 21), James Williams ( 22), Mary Jones ( 28 ) and Jennifer Johnson ( 26 ). All of them are from Torrington and they are willing to share their training experience with Kevin Joseph, Torringtons local writer.

Anyone who is aware of the training procedure will know that the training always ends with a twist at the end.

The four shared their experience about how they had to wear huge uncomfortable padded suits and how they were tear gassed. They also talked about their experience of firing a weapon. They also had to handcuff a criminal as a part of the training procedure. From their experiences, we got to know that the training was quite rigorous and even small victories in training meant a lot.

However, all of them were unaware of the date of the final physical training exam.

James Williams said, ” All of us thought that the final training was scheduled for another day. That is why we went outside to have lunch.

John and James went outside for a barbecue lunch. Mary headed to Burger King for a meal.

John said,” After some time, we got to know that the test was scheduled on that day only. We just had 2 hours to digest our lunch.

We somehow ended up digesting our lunch, James exclaimed. ” Even now, I am afraid of trying out barbecue after that experience.

However, when asked to describe their graduation day, all 4 of them agreed that notwithstanding the final experience, it has been an ecstatic experience for them and they were relieved after their graduation day.

James said, ” I feel like a totally different person. I was with my parents near Birmingham when I received the job offer. Moving here was a completely new experience for me. Except for my aunt, I knew no one else here”.

There is one interesting thing which is common between all the four of them. All of them were inspired by another police officer to join the force.

James also thanked his father saying that without his constant support, he wouldn’t have been able to make it so far.

John said, ” My father was a cop in Chicago and the impact that he made in the community really inspired me. Saying everyone greet him and thank him made me realize that being a police officer will help me make a difference in the society”.

Mary grew up in Mason Court and because of her feisty nature, she was advised to stay away from the police. Mary said” As I grew up, I was inspired to join the police by school resource officer, Jack Smith. He was my main inspiration as I grew up and I am very thankful to him”.

The story of Patricia is more interesting. Once she fell asleep while driving and her car was dangling over the water when a police officer rescued me. ” This incident really touched me and motivated me to join the police force”.

There are many benefits which come with the act of volunteering. You make other people happy as well as making yourself happy. If you will like to make your community a better place, then you should start by the act of volunteering. There are different ways you can volunteer. You can commit your time to helping the community; contribute towards a charitable course among other ways. Different people are gifted differently; you can use your gift and technical abilities to volunteer towards helping your community. Here are some of the benefits you enjoy by volunteering to help the community:

There are organizations, people and even animals in your community which need some form of help for them to be happy. You make a great impact even if you volunteer a small task. It is easy for you to make new friends if you can volunteer to help others in the community. New friends and contacts will expand your friend base which will make you part of the community. It is easy for people to relate with you after they remember the good deeds you offered the community. Children and adults in the community will see what you do when volunteering. It will impact their lives in different ways which will make you increase your social and relationship base.

Volunteering is good for your mind and body

There are many benefits you enjoy both mental and health after you decide to volunteer in Torrington. You can easily counteract the effects of stress, anxiety, anger among other effects if you embark on helping other people. A meaningful connection with other people in the community is very effective in relieving stress. You stand a better chance of improving your mood if you decide to volunteer in helping pets in your community. The act of volunteering makes you happier, aids in combating depression as well as increasing yourself confidence. Remember you volunteer in areas you are good at. Other people will admire the way you are effective which will boost your self-confidence. Your physical health improves after you decide to become a volunteer.

Volunteering can advance your career

If you will like to improve in your career path, you can easily do so out of volunteering. It makes it possible for you to interact with other people in your field of specialization as well as gaining new skills which are necessary in your career advancements. You learn technical skills in your career through volunteering in the field. In most cases, employers take into consideration your career before they can hire you. You are in a better position of gaining the necessary experience out of your volunteering activities.

Volunteering brings fun and fulfillment to your life

If you will like to explore your interest and passion in different fields, then volunteering is the best way for you to go about it. You can escape from your day to day work, school or even family commitment which will make your life fun. There are several people who volunteer to spare time for hobbies out of other work life. There is no fear of being followed by your boss after you decide to volunteer.

Play is undoubtedly one of the most important factors that influence the growth and development of a child. It helps the child to grow into a well-rounded person by promoting his/her physical, cognitive and social development. Lack of enough free, spontaneous play does not only hamper development but also harms a developing child.

Understanding a child’s natural yearning for physical activity and providing them with the appropriate playground structures is giving them a gift they will enjoy throughout their lives. They will learn how to engage in healthy exercise from an early age, which will lead to a lifetime of healthy and happy living.

Functions of an ideal playground for kids aged 6 to 12 years

The key functions of a playground include:

– Promoting physical activity: Physical exercise has endless benefits to children – emotional well-being, resilience, positive mood, and so on. And who can forget that obesity levels among children are rising by each dawn. In 2014, the American Academy of Pediatrics declared obesity and overweight a national emergency. It also indicated that prevention through play is the only sustainable solution to these health problems.

– Encouraging social interaction: Children develop values and skills such sharing, empathy, negotiating and leadership through social interactions on the playground.

– Supporting creativity and problem-solving: Some play experiences trigger cognitive development in children. In children who are around 6 years of age, play helps to improve sensory stimulation. In older children, especially those approaching adolescence, creative play enables for development of coping skills so that the child develops flexibility towards problems.

Studies have shown that there is a big correlation between physical activity and cognitive function.

Playground structures that meet playground functions effectively

Effective playgrounds have particular play space designs and structures to ensure that the children benefit fully from the playground functions. Below are critical considerations to make when planning on playground designs and structures:

1. Include space for active play

Multipurpose open spaces allow children to engage in a wide variety of activities including running, crawling, jumping, gross motor activities and so on. Adding balls, toys, building materials, beanbags, and other playing equipment adds flexibility into the space so that every child can find something exciting to do.

2. Accommodate all demographics and backgrounds

For the children to interact and socialize freely, the playground should be highly accessible to children of varying backgrounds. Children of different ages and abilities should be able to access and enjoy the playground and interact with peers.

It’s therefore inherent that considerations are made about path width, surface texture and play structures and equipment with reference to children’s various physical abilities. Walkers, wheelchairs and other mobility aids should easily access the playground. The point is, when setting up the playground, think about every child that will need to play on the play space.

3. Include natural elements

Studies have shown that children portray higher levels of physical activity when the playground combines manufactured equipment with natural materials. Trees, long grass, boulders, stumps, water, sand, pebbles and so on makes the landscape more beautiful and welcoming. Natural materials provide variety, adventure, and interest.

Such a combination makes for a high-quality play space that encourages children to grow both physically and intellectually. It creates an environment with elements of risk and challenge. Children can create their own challenges such as hide and seek games, climbing over boulders, and jumping off tree stumps. They can engage in activities of varying difficulty and complexity, thus enhancing their physical, social and cognitive capabilities.

4. Safe and hazard-free play space

Playground safety requires careful consideration of the children’s ages and abilities. Adult supervision is also highly required in outdoor play spaces. When planning for a play space, it’s important to go through regulatory codes in the locale. For every state, there are specific building codes and childcare licensing regulations relating to the design and equipment that a playground should have.

If you are planning for enhancements and changes to a children’s playground, it’s good to first consider what you want the children to have. Focus on the movement opportunities that the children have, then go ahead and choose the equipment and surfaces that will best accomplish this objective. Another key thing to remember is that safety comes first. Many parents would better have their child relax on a bench rather than letting them hurt themselves when playing on an unsafe playground. Therefore, make the entire playground environment unquestionably safe for the children.

With a safe, creatively designed and adequately equipped playground, you can give a child a gift that will keep them smiling all the way to old age; and that is play.

The Torrington Club is usually explained as a service organisation that works on various projects related to national and international civilization. When we feel that a person with whom we are talking with can be a good Rotarian or when someone asks us about the functions of Rotary club we implore them to join other like minded individuals. Usually we overlook the explanation that after joining this great club, an individual can help himself as well as other grow.

According to our belief one can mainly get three items after joining and being engaged in the activities of this club, as I have observed during my life as Rotarian; personal development, professional growth and family values.

The opportunity of association you get in The Torrington Club provides you personal development. The people we meet through this club may not have come in contact with us otherwise, and most likely would not have had the impact on society that they would have otherwise. These relationships allow us to know what others are doing in their personal and professional life, such as their professions, interests and hobbies which can also encourage us to improve our life. When we complete certain service mission with other Rotarians it helps in make a strong bonding between us. When we attend conferences and assemblies at district level we get opportunities to expand our network of relationship. The speakers and programs that are found in all meetings of Rotary club also help in our personal development. It increases our knowledge about national and international issues which can be used while sharing ideas while taking some action in this regard.

When you become member of Torrington club then you can get enough chances of professional growth. The District Assemblies, Rotary Leadership Institute programs, observation of other Rotarians and the President Elect Training Seminars or PETS offer you ample opportunities to sharpen your leadership skills. You learn about salesmanship, management of project, volunteer management and fund raising while leading a project in this club. Most Rotarians already have these skills due to their career still, to achieve success, they take advice of their fellow members. The best thing universally found on Rotarians is that they want everyone to be successful.

The two beliefs of the motto of Rotary, Our 4 Way Test and Service above Self, offer a natural value to this system. People, we are linked with including our families, consider us as individuals working to make this world a better place to live in, when we accept and go with these two beliefs. Nothing can be better to teach our children the idea of coming forward if they can learn by self observation. Hopefully this lesson of life of understanding the world and spreading peace will automatically be followed by the increasing numbers of people in our community.

We get a lot in return from Rotary even if we contribute very little in it. As individuals we learn, grow and share our values as we do our job in Rotary by providing opportunities, hopes and saving lives of others. Our passion for Rotary gets energy from such things. These things will compel future members of Rotary to say Yes when they are invited to join it.